We just got off a cruise on the Mekong River through Cambodia and Vietnam. So far we’ve been on 2 other ships on our trip. They were all different in many ways. This is our third and this one, in particular, had only older passengers.  So, as the only kids, we stood out a bit. Just a bit. There were many occasions where we were the focus of attention. For example, for a couple of days there was a party with a dance floor and you know… you can’t just sit there and not dance. So, of course, we took over the floor and pretty much performed for everyone. Nico was the main star, duh (haha).
Because we were on the ship for a little while (8 days), we got to know some people. And with that they usually want to know more about our trip and they wonder how we are able to do it. I get tired of retelling the same story over and over again. It sounds funny repeating myself over and over. I guess I just have to remind myself that it’s the first time most people are hearing it, so it doesn’t sound boring or funny to them. You know, I just got the best idea ever! I could just record myself saying it and play the recording for anyone who asks— that wouldn’t be weird at all (I wish I could do that, haha).
Other than the ship itself, there were many amazing spots that we got explore. The floating city in Cambodia was so different than anything I’ve ever see.  The big palace/temple in Cambodia was also really interesting. There we got to offer food (rice, to be exact) to some monks. We also got to visit a school in Cambodia and practice English with these cute 3rd graders. In Vietnam we got to see another crazy market and actually got to go into someone’s home. The homes are built high above the ground because of flooding and they are pretty small inside — the one we saw had only 3 rooms: a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room/worship room. The people are very poor but are smiling and happy.

Everywhere we go, we recognize people we know from home in the faces and personalities of the people we meet on our adventures.          There was a little boy that was crazy and running around everywhere, he reminded us of our cousin, Ryder. Then there was a lady on the ship that reminded me of Nonny, my grandma. She was a teacher and just got into art as a hobby. She’s is actually really good and brought a whole bunch of amazing art supplies, which she shared with us. She had fun teaching us how to use them. It was like art class. It’s nice to be reminded of home by these people — that way we don’t miss home too much.
I think that so far our trip is going along nicely. We’ve had some bumps in the road with missing home and passport trouble (we’re running out of space), but we’re working through it. Mostly my Mom and Dad are working out the passport thing. But the kids are helping too with brainstorming solutions to the problems. I still can’t believe that we are actually on our 4th month of the trip. At times, it seems like it’s been longer. And at other times, it seems shorter. I know I’ve said this many times, but we have made so many memories over the past 3 months and I am excited to make more.